Cover and dispensing device

ABSTRACT

A cover device that houses, protects and safely and economically dispenses an edible product, such as a rolled rawhide. The cover device substantially encases an edible rolled product and effectively prevents the pet from accessing the ends of the product. Relatively small access windows provide chewing access to the edible rolled product. The cover body has a hollow cavity and openings allowing access to the rolled product. The rolled product can be prevented from rotating within the cavity by one or more pin projections extending within the hollow cavity.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 61/577,497, filed Dec. 19, 2011, and incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to animal chew toys. Moreparticularly, it relates to a cover which houses and dispenses an edibleroll-shaped product, such as a rawhide roll.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pets play with objects of all kinds, including toys they chew andconsume in part or entirely. Artificial bones and other teething toysfor exciting the animal's interest and chewing instincts are well knownin the art. Dogs, in particular, like to chew on household objects ormanufactured pet toys.

Chewable objects perform a number of useful functions for pets. Theyprovide exercise for the pets' jaw muscles, they massage the pets' gumsand thus clean the pets' teeth and they provide relief during periods oftooth eruption when animals, specifically puppies, are teething.Chewable objects also provide entertainment for occupying the pets'attention. It is often the case that dogs instinctively consume, in partor in whole, objects that are not beneficial to the health of theanimal. Even certain pet products for dogs can be detrimental to the dogwhen larger pieces are torn apart and consumed.

Chewable pet toys have been available for many years. Many areimpregnated with odors or flavoring materials which are attractive tothe pet. These toys are made of various materials, such as rawhide,rubber and plastic. One shortcoming of these products is that after ashort period of time the flavor diminishes and the animal loses interestin the toy.

A variety of chew toys and chew products have been manufactured for theentertainment of pets. These chew toys and chew products are made from avariety of materials. For example, rawhide, woven fabrics, plastic orrope have been used but they are subject to breakdown from continuedchewing and may also cause digestive problems if large or sharp piecesare swallowed. Softer chew toys and chew products may not be used whilethe pet is unattended for extended periods since, by instinct, pets willconsume the pieces. More stable materials, such as rubber or plastichave also been used for such chewable objects but frequently thesematerials have undesirable tastes and quickly lose the attention of thepet. A variety of methods have been developed to impregnate chewableobjects with odor or flavor extracts or animal meals. These productshave limited success in exciting the pet into chewing a chew toymanufactured with undesirable materials.

A significant limitation of rawhide roll toys for pets includes thetendency of the pet to unwrap and quickly consume large portions of therawhide roll. Such quick consumption of rawhide rolls is uneconomicaland can even lead to severe digestive problems. It has been observedthat free access to the exposed ends of the rawhide roll allows the petto chew and quickly consume the rawhide roll. Another significantlimitation of known rawhide rolls is the staining of furniture, carpet,clothing, etc. that come into contact with a saliva-wetted roll.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the disadvantages and shortcomings ofthe prior art by providing a non-edible cover that houses, protects andsafely and economically dispenses an edible product, such as a rolledrawhide.

A cover device of the present invention substantially encases a rawhideroll or similar product and effectively prevents the pet from accessingthe ends of the rawhide roll. Relatively small access windows areprovided upon the device for chewing access to the rawhide roll. In oneembodiment, small scent windows are provided adjacent the ends of therawhide roll to further enhance the smell of the rawhide roll. Thedevice of the present invention thus protects and extends the life ofthe rawhide roll as compared to traditional unprotected rawhide rolls.In addition to extending the life of a rawhide roll, the cover device ofthe present invention tends to prevent or minimize staining and damageto surfaces caused by contact with saliva-wetted rawhide rolls.

In one embodiment, the cover device is generally bone-shaped having anelongated body member with a bulbous portion at each end to cover andprotect the ends of the rawhide roll. The body member has a hollowcavity along its axis and a pair of openings allowing access to therolled rawhide. A chewable rawhide roll or similar product, which has across-section that corresponds to the shape of the hollow cavity, isheld within the cover device.

The rolled rawhide or similar product is prevented from exiting thehollow cavity by end portions of the cover device. In one embodiment,the rolled rawhide or similar product is prevented from rotating withinthe cavity by one or more pin projections within the hollow cavity.

The rawhide roll may be sized to be held within a generally cylindricalhollow cavity of the cover device, e.g. the diameter and length of theroll is approximately the same size as the diameter and length of thehollow cavity. Preferably, the rawhide roll is slightly larger than thehollow cavity of the cover device so that the resilient body of thecover device tends to maintain the rawhide roll within the hollowcavity.

The rawhide roll may be accessible to the pet via a pair of accesswindows defined in the cover device. The access windows may be onopposite sides of the cover device. The access windows may be surroundedby a plurality of pet teeth engaging or gum stimulating structures. Theaccess windows are preferably positioned away from the ends of therawhide roll.

The rawhide roll may include one or more cavities for engaging a pinportion of the cover device. One or more pins engage the cavities of therawhide roll and prevent the roll from being unwound by the pet. Thepins may be molded into the chew toy or may be separate componentspositioned during assembly. In one embodiment, one cavity is alignedwith the end edge of the roll.

Therefore, the principal object of the present invention is to providean improved chew toy and chew product dispensing system. Yet anotherobject of the present invention is to provide an improved chew toy andchew product dispensing system that occupies the pet for extendedperiods of time and will allow it to remain with the pet for any lengthof time unattended without fear of the pet eating the whole chew productcausing harm to the pet or spoiling their appetite by consuming too muchof the chew product. And finally, although carpets and other floorsurfaces are not protected entirely by the present device, the degree ofstaining is reduced.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of the present invention in order that the detaileddescription of the invention that follows may be better understood.Additional features and advantages of the invention will be describedhereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. Itshould be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conceptionand specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis formodifying or designing other structures for carrying out the samepurposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by thoseskilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart fromthe spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appendedclaims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic ofthe invention, both as to its organization and method of operation,together with further objects and advantages will be better understoodfrom the following description when considered in connection with theaccompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, thateach of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration anddescription only and is not intended as a definition of the limits ofthe present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings which form part of the specification andwherein like numerals and letters refer to like parts wherever theyoccur:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cover device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the cover device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is another perspective view of the cover device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is another perspective view of the cover device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the cover device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the cover device of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the cover device of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a rolled product suitable for use withthe cover device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the rolled product of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the rolled product of FIG. 9 takenalong lines 10-10.

FIGS. 11A, 11B, 11C and 11D depict insertion of the rolled product ofFIG. 8 into the cover device of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIG. 1, the basic structure of the present invention isshown. The cover device includes an elongated cover body 10 having twobulbous knobs 12 and 14 at opposite ends for covering and protectingends of the rawhide roll 16. Small portions of the rolled rawhide orsimilar product 16 extend from a cavity within the cover body 10 througha pair of access openings 20. The rawhide roll 16 is relatively hard sothat it can function structurally, as further described herein. Forexample, the rawhide roll 16 may include a cavity which cooperates withpins to limit movement of the rawhide roll 16 from within the main body.

FIG. 2 illustrates the cover body 10 removed from the rawhide roll 16.The outside surface of cover body 10 includes ridges, bumps and valleysand other protrusions to provide surface elements 22 which arestimulating to the mouth of the pet. In use, surface elements 22 providea gentle massaging of the pet's gums.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a side perspective of the present invention ofFIG. 1 is shown. Rawhide roll 16 (not shown) resides within the hollowcavity 24 within the main body 10 of the present invention. Pins 26, 28are located near the center of the body 10 and each project inwardlytoward each other. In one embodiment, the rawhide roll includes a pairof bores 30 which are engaged by pins 26, 28. Pins 26, 28 can beintegrated into body 10 or may be separate components secured to body 10during assembly. Pins 26, 28 may be metal, plastic, rubber, etc.

FIG. 4 is another perspective view of body 10.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views of body 10. As shown in FIGS.6 and 7, the body 10 includes a pair of small openings 29 at oppositeends of the body. These small openings 29 allow the pet to smell theends of the rawhide rolls 16 and tend to maintain or improve the pet'sinterest in playing with the product.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the rawhide roll 16. In a preferredembodiment of the invention, the rawhide roll 16 is a generallycylindrical roll of rawhide material.

FIG. 8 also shows an alternative means to prevent the rawhide roll fromrotating within the body 10. A simple notch 32 may be positioned on theroll 16 with a corresponding structure of the body 10 (such as ashoulder, flat, etc.) adapted to engage the notch and prevent the roll16 from rotating. The notch 32 may be positioned at an end of the roll16 or at some intermediate location. In a preferred embodiment, thenotch 32 is positioned directly upon the seam or end edge of the roll16. By so positioning the notch 32, the seam or end edge can beautomatically aligned away from the access windows upon inserting intothe body 10, thus preventing the pet from grasping and unraveling therawhide roll 16. In alternative embodiments, the notch 32 may bepositioned at the circular end face of the rawhide roll 16.

FIG. 9 is another perspective view of the rawhide roll 16. The bore 30is preferably aligned with an end edge of the rawhide roll so as tolimit the degree to which the roll can be unwound by pet chewingactivity.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the rawhide roll 16 taken throughlines 10-10 in FIG. 9. The pair of bores 30 are shown to extend inwardlytoward a roll center. A diameter of bores 30 is sized to approximate adiameter of the pins 26, 28 of body 10.

In the illustrated embodiments, the generally cylindrical external shapeof the rawhide roll 16 lies within cavity 24 within the main body 10.While the preferred embodiment has a cylindrical cavity whichcorrespondence with a cylindrical food product, other non-circularcross-section shapes may be employed. Preferably, the food product fitsclosely enough within the cavity so that rotation of the food productwith respect to the body of the invention is prevented or at leastlimited. While the preferred embodiment depicts the direct engagementbetween the pins and the bores of the food product, alternative meanscan be utilized to minimize unraveling of the rawhide roll.

FIG. 11 illustrates one method of inserting the rawhide roll 16 into theprotective cover body 10. In FIG. 11A, roll 16 is inserted into coverbody 10 as depicted by the arrow. FIG. 11B depicts bending back an upperportion of flexible body 10 while further inserting roll 16 into thecover body 10 as depicted by the arrow. FIG. 11C depicts pulling,lifting and covering the upper portion of roll 16 with the upper portionof the cover body 10 as depicted by the arrow. FIG. 11D depictsmanipulating the cover body 10 relative to the roll 16 in order to seatthe cover pins 26, 28 into the bore holes 30 of roll 16.

In use, the device is given to the dog to chew on with a chew productinserted. Either due to the natural playfulness of a particular dog, ordue to the scent and taste of the chew product, or due to the dog'sinability to break up the device and chew on the rest of the chewproduct, dogs tend to spend considerable time and effort chewing andgnawing on the device. The abstract bone-shaped configuration of thedevice is believed to contribute to its attraction to a dog. Inaddition, the contained chew product by its texture, odor, taste andrelative softness substantially increases the device's attraction to thedog. As the device is chewed upon, the device is contacted on manydifferent angles and in many different orientations. This causes themany parts of the body 11 to come in contact with most if not allsurfaces of the dogs teeth. The dog thereby, in effect, cleans his ownteeth to prevent tooth decay, while enjoying playing with the toy andmasticating the chew product. One important aspect of the preferredembodiment of the invention is that the ends of roll 16 are covered bycover body 10 to protect against direct chewing by the pet.

While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, it will also be apparent to those skilled in the art thatvarious modifications can be made without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention. For example, another type of rolled food productmay be used for roll 16. Furthermore, a variety of materials may be usedfor the body so long as the pet chew is soft enough to be chewable, yetresist tearing and destruction by the pet. The term “roll” as usedherein is not limited to a “rolled” product. For example, in alternativeembodiments roll 16 may be of a molded or formed material and notnecessarily a rolled product. Roll product 16 is thus not limited to asheet material, such as hide material, which is rolled upon itself. Roll16 may assume a variety of cross-sections and not necessarily circular.Roll 16 may be cylinder-shaped or may assume a different form. Inalternative embodiments, the roll 16 may comprise rolled beef or porkproducts. For example, roll 16 may comprise a beef jerky material. Roll16 may also comprise a chew treat molded from ground beef, turkey, pork,chicken, fish, etc. Roll 16 may also comprise a hard biscuit material or“dental chew” material. In another embodiment, roll 16 comprises ayogurt stick or dried sausage or yak cheese materials. A variety pack ofrolls 16 may include different meats or other materials.

The cover body 10 may comprise any plastic or rubber suitable for safeinteraction with an animal. Preferably, the cover body comprises aresilient elastomeric material which may provide the durability requiredfor longevity. Cover body 10 is preferably non-edible and is intended tobe used over time with a plurality of edible roll products 16.

Although the present invention and its advantages have been described indetail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions andalterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, thescope of the present application is not intended to be limited to theparticular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, compositionof matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. Asone of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from thedisclosure of the present invention, processes, machines, manufacture,compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing orlater to be developed that perform substantially the same function orachieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodimentsdescribed herein may be utilized according to the present invention.Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within theirscope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter,means, methods, or steps.

What is claimed is:
 1. A roll product dispensing device comprising: aresilient cover body having an elongated hollow cavity; and an elongatededible roll product sized to be received into the hollow cavity of theresilient body, with portions of the cover body protecting ends of theroll product and with portions of the roll product being accessible tothe pet via one or more access windows in the cover body.
 2. The deviceof claim 1 wherein the roll product is a rolled rawhide product.
 3. Thedevice of claim 2 further comprising a pin sized to engage a bore in therawhide roll.
 4. The device of claim 3 wherein the bore is positioned atan exposed edge of the rawhide roll.
 5. The device of claim 3 whereinthe one or more access windows comprises a pair of access windows, andwherein the pin is secured to the body between the pair of accesswindows.
 6. The device of claim 5 wherein the pair of access windows arepositioned generally opposite each other at sides of the cover body. 7.The device of claim 1 wherein the hollow cavity is generally cylindricalin form and the roll product is generally cylindrical in form.
 8. Thedevice of claim 7 wherein the roll product is larger than the hollowcavity so as to deform the cover body upon insertion of the roll productinto the cover body.
 9. The device of claim 1 wherein the one or moreaccess windows comprises a pair of access windows each positioned awayfrom an end of the body.
 10. The device of claim 9 wherein the pair ofaccess windows are separated by approximately 180 degrees.
 11. Thedevice of claim 1 further comprising at least one scent windowpositioned in the body adjacent an end of the rawhide roll, said scentwindow allowing the pet to smell the end of the rawhide roll.
 12. Amethod of protecting and dispensing a roll product to a pet comprising:protecting the ends of the roll product by encasing the roll productwithin a resilient protective cover, said cover allowing only a smallportion of the roll product to be easily accessed by the pet, anddispensing the roll product to the pet via one or more access windows inthe protective cover, said access windows allowing the pet to accessrelatively small portions of the roll product thereby greatly increasingthe duration of time the pet interacts with the roll product.
 13. Themethod of claim 12 wherein the roll product is a rolled rawhide product,and said method further comprising aligning an edge of the rawhide rollaway from one or more access windows in the protective cover.
 14. Themethod of claim 12 wherein the roll product includes at least one boreinto which a pin is inserted so as to limit the roll product fromrotating within the protective cover.
 15. The method of claim 12 furthercomprising: providing at least one scent window proximate to one end ofthe roll product so as to maintain pet interest.
 16. A roll productdispensing device comprising: a resilient non-edible cover body havingan elongated hollow cavity positioned between a pair of generally closedends, with said cover body being deformable and including at least oneopening allowing insertion of an elongated edible roll product into thehollow cavity, with the closed ends of the cover body protecting ends ofthe edible roll product from contact with a pet, and with other portionsof the roll product being readily accessible to the pet.
 17. The deviceof claim 16 wherein the roll product is a rolled rawhide product. 18.The device of claim 17 further comprising a pin sized to engage a borein the rawhide roll.
 19. The device of claim 18 wherein the bore ispositioned at an exposed edge of the rawhide roll.
 20. The device ofclaim 16 wherein an outer surface of the cover body includes surfaceelements which are stimulating to the pet mouth.